Articlehybrid2021

Analyzing the contributions of transdisciplinary research to the global sustainability agenda in African cities

Sokhna Astou Thiam · Fati Aziz · Sandra Boatemaa Kushitor · Akosua Baah Kwarteng Amaka-Otchere · Blessing Nonye Onyima · Oghenekaro Nelson Odume

22 citations0/0 files storedSustainability Science

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Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration Land Use and Ecosystem Services Sustainability and Climate Change Governance

Abstract

It is almost 6 years since the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted, and countries have less than 10 years to achieve the set targets. Unlike most of the world, sub-Saharan African countries have reported only minimal progress, one that the COVID-19 pandemic has unfortunately disrupted. Transdisciplinary research (TDR) has been conceptualized as important for achieving sustainability goals such as the SDGs. In this paper we (i) analyze the contributions of the five TDR projects toward the achievements of the SDGs at the city level in Africa, and (ii) explore the interactions between the assessed SDGs across the five projects. The projects' contributions towards the achievements of the SDGs were examined in three thematic areas: (i) contexts, (ii) processes and (iii) products. The five projects were funded under the Leading Integrated Research for Agenda 2030 in Africa (LIRA) programme. The projects were being implemented in nine cities across five African countries Accra (Ghana), Kumasi (Ghana), Korhogo (Ivory Coast), Abuja Metro (Nigeria), Mbour (Senegal), Cape Town (South Africa), Nelson Mandela Bay Metro (South Africa), Grahamstown (South Africa) and Kampala (Uganda) and data were collected on each of the five projects in these cities. The contextual contributions include co-analysis and reflection on policy and institutional silos and social innovations amenable to contextual complexity. A shift in how actors perceived and conceptualized sustainability challenges and the role of the projects as transformative social agents constituted the two main process contributions. Tool development, virtual models and maps, and handbook are the product contributions by the projects. Our analysis of the SDG interactions indicated the need for cross-sectoral collaborations to ensures resource use efficiency, knowledge and experience sharing, and seamless flow of information and data to accelerate the SDG implementation.

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References

2006Using thematic analysis in psychology 2018Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 2012Transdisciplinary research in sustainability science: practice, principles, and challenges 2006Implications of transdisciplinarity for sustainability research 2015Transformative, transgressive social learning: rethinking higher education pedagogy in times of systemic global dysfunction 2006Getting to Maybe: How the World Is Changed 2007The Emergence of Transdisciplinarity as a Form of Research 2011Stakeholder engagement and knowledge exchange in environmental research

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